ROCK BOTTOM

Wow! How one does not commit suicide after falling from the window on the fourth floor and realizing that he will never walk again. I think I have never heard such a personal album like this one and the Syd recordings do not come close as those were so sloppy. This is rather a healing job as the open wounds just start to cauterize , but as he says in the booklet of the remaster, he realized also that he would not have to write music according to his different band mates as it will be impossible to tour again especially with a band, so this would give him more artistic freedom in the writing dept. Everyone ot these tracks is an absolute gem and his voice has never been so fabulous. Nerve-wracking, hair-raising, flabbergasting, spine-tingling. But nevermind me, I'll let my trusted collabs talk about this album.

In the middle of 1973 Wyatt fall out of a window and broke his backbone, during a party. For a Drummer this is, like you can imagine, a profoundly change in life, including genral and musical life. After this event he concentrated on playing piano and organ as well as various percussion instruments. But the main part of his music for sure is his beautiful voice. Rock Bottom is the first album after this momentous event. Various popular musicians supported him on this album and encouraged him to go on. Featured are amongst others Mike Oldfield and Richard Sinclair.

"Sea Song" is a beautiful lovesong as well as a duett of Wyatt and Richard Synclair's bass. Organ and bass are dominating this song but you also get guitar and piano. The song raises slightly in the end. "The last Straw" commences in a similar way, organ and bass build a musical basis and Wyatt's voice impends over it. The drums stay discreet all the time. "Little Red Riding Hood Hit The Road" is an extension of "The last straw", the melody commences and Mongezi Fesa adds some trumpet. This song is kind of hypnotic due to Wyatts voice and the melody, terrific! "Alifib" is a homage to his significant other and again, a duett, this time between Wyatt and Hopper on bass. In the beginning you just hear Wyatts breathing and gasping over some beautiful, mellow and muted Keyboard sounds. After a time Wyatt begins to sing, just as alsways, very melanciloc. After the song gets more and more intensive, it passes into the next track "Alife" wich is a bit madder mainly because of the saxophone. Nevertheless the two songs seem to belong togher, two great and melancolic tracks, beautiful. On "Little Red Robin Hood Hit The Road" Mike Oldfield, Fred Frith, Laurie Allen and again Richard Sinclair gathered to attend Wyatt. The vivid beginning is dominated by Oldfield's guitar and Waytt's voice, later on Frith's viola affiliates. The end is quite funny because somebody tries to tell you something about a broken telephone, drinking tea and some other weird stuff. The song dies away with laughter.

"Rock Bottom" is a timeless Canterbury classic and a masterpiece of this genre. A terrific journey through Wyatt's psyche. It is mainly settled, calm and very melancolic. Wyatt's voice is for sure the main part of this release but you also get beautiful instrumentation wich is very Canterbury typical. For me "Rock Bottom" is one of the most beautiful records in my collection and I don't want to miss it. Five Stars is a MUST for this Canterbury Masterpiece.

Rock Bottom as the title depicts is Wyatt scraping the barrell after the terrible accident and climbing back out of it with defiance as well. It is a great album helped along by Oldfield's guitar and Richard Sinclair's bass. Vocally I find Robert Wyatt borderline manic and hard to take in large quantities. It is the passion and fragility he brings across which is so tangible even to this day. Songs to recommend are the title track and the crazy ' Alifib'

A great, one-of-a-kind album with a lyrical sense of humor that is so sadly lacking in most progressive rock. I'm sure a lot of people, in fact most people, would find this nearly unlistenable. Wyatt's vocals and lyrics are an acquired taste, and the music is often deceptively simple and repetitious. The Syd Barrett comparison in another review here is apt, and of course Wyatt and his Soft Machine mates backed up Syd on a few tracks. I don't really see him reconciling his tragic accident here; it seems like a rather happy and whimsical album to me. My friends and I loved this album when it was released; it was an immediate favorite on our stereos in the mid-70's. I recently picked up the "Winged Migration" soundtrack after learning that he sings on a couple of tracks. Another overlooked gem is Nick Mason's "Fictitious Sports", with some great Wyatt vocals.

Fuelled by the motivation of the new musical freedom he had just found under his inconvenient paraplegic condition, and additionally inspired by the dramatic circumstances that outlined his past life as he knew it, Robert Wyatt started what would be an unstoppable solo career with his second solo effort "Rock Bottom". This album is simply stunning, beautiful: the way that it portrays an air of dreamy melancholy in each and every pore of its textures, melodies and vocal lines, is cathartic without getting depressive, compelling without getting too overwhelming. There is a sense of constant liberation that develops in a recurrent basis as the repertoire goes on right until the ultimate relief, when the final notes of the last song vanishes into the void. Wyatt contemplates his own personal drama and learns to re-value life under new terms: his keyboard layers, his jazz-tinged piano chords and, most of all, his lyrical singing, are the perfect vehicles for this intimate testimony of his heart. All guests (on bass, sax, violin, guitar, drums.) insert their respective inputs in total communion with the song's motifs and moods: this is one of those solo albums in which the sense of ensemble becomes a crucial sonic factor without decreasing one inch of the main man's prominent role. 'Sea Song' kicks off the album as a well-defined statement of what the album is going to be all about: emotional density, plain and simple. The organ layers (complemented by what seem to be mellotron washes) and Wyatt's falsetto singing are immensely moving and evocative, and they will remain so for the following 30 minutes. 'A Last Straw' portrays a certain lightness that adds some extra colours to the continuing density. 'Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road' goes for a more uplifting mood: it carries on as some sort of big band thing without properly being a big band kind of song. The solid foundation created at unison by Richard Sinclair's bass and Wyatt's piano and percussions sustains a proper column around which Mongezi Feza's exciting trumpet lines go floating by in a multicolor manner. Meanwhile, the keyboard layers provide a now more subtle ethereal background. IMHO, the linked sequence of 'Alifib' and 'Alife' is the most accomplished piece of the album, and arguably, the one that takes the album's melancholic stance to its most robust expression. Heavily based on some persistent organ chord progressions laid on a slow 3/4 pattern, it sucks the atmosphere of the listener's room and reinstates it as a mystic fog of introspectiveness and ultimate redemption. 'Alifib' features an amazing series of Hugh Hopper's lines on bass, properly punctuating the dreamy cadence of Wyatt's singing: the rhythm background is traced by the syncopated breathing of a man in a comma supported by machines - graphic beyond belief! When 'Alife' emerges, things get more intense while keeping the same tempo. The sax displays a lunatic solo and some tribal drumming gets in as Wyatt repeats the 'Alifib' lyrics in a stuttering speech, almost bordering on the inarticulate - Alfreda Benge's closing statement combines the candour of love declaration and the straightforward conviction of menace. Deliciously disturbing!! This is not sad nor depressive. this is plainly dangerous!! The album ends up with 'Little Red Robin Hood Hit the Road', a song solidly framed by Laurie Allan's almost-martial drumming and Mike Oldfield's soaring leads: its coda consists of yet another soliloquy, this time delivered by a playfully naughty Ivon Cutler while Fred Frith's violin creates some Celtic-like ambiences above the organ minimalistic layers. While it is true that the music and lyrics for a couple of these songs had already been written for a band that was being inaugurated during the party in which Wyatt had his terrible accident, the fact is that the aura of cohesiveness definitely works steadily all along this album's repertoire. This is an absolute prog masterpiece: out of his own genius alone, and properly supported by a host of big names from early avant-garde 70s rock Parnassus, Robert Wyatt created an autonomous musical world within the boundaries of Canterbury - The drummer is dead! Long live the musician!

Other reviewers have given their in depth analyses of this album and the context in which it was recorded, so I'll cut to the chase: this is a masterpiece, one of those rare albums that could not be improved in any way. Robert Wyatt has one of the most expressive voices of the last 50 years, and has a jazz musician's feel for harmony, melody and texture. In addition to this he is an unflinchingly open and honest songwriter whose work is sometimes shockingly direct, as on the Alifib/Alfie sequence where the listener feels more like an eavesdropper straining to hear what the couple next door are talking about. Wyatt's vocal and keyboards are complemented by the contributions of an impressive roster of guest musicians, all under the the sympathetic production of Nick Mason. Wyatt has denied that the songs were inspired by his accident, but it's hard to believe that there wasn't at least a subconscious link there. What is more impressive is the lack of self pity, despite the rather melancholy feel, and the flashes of absurdist humour that recall the early days of Soft Machine, especially Ivor Cutler's contributions. Robert Wyatt's 40 year career in music has been littered with high points, but he's never quite equalled this. Essential.

"Your madness fits in neatly with my own" sings the great (and for that moment, truly demented) Robert Wyatt towards the end of Sea Song, this album's opening track. He then launches into a free-form wordless vocal (accompanying himself brilliantly on keyboards) that will chill you to the bone, particularly if you're aware of the circumstances under which Wyatt made this album ... and how many of us who pick this one up aren't?

With his quirky compositions, high-pitched vocals, avant-jazz tendancies and Marxist sympathies, Robert Wyatt is someone you either love or hate. But surely only the most hard-hearted of people can fail to be moved by Rock Bottom, a soul-searching prog album made shortly after Wyatt found himself paralysed from the neck down for life. Rock Bottom is, unsurprisingly, an album that is significantly darker than the Soft Machine and Matching Mole works that Wyatt had helmed in the past.

The guest musicians include Richard Sinclair, Hugh Hopper, Fred Frith and Mike Oldfield and it's no surprise that the trademark Canterbury sound is all over this album, from the brooding, Last Straw (with its lovely dreamy piano outro) to the fiercely brassy jazz of Little Red Riding Hood Hits The Road and it's far more melodic counterpart Little Red Robin Hood Hits The Road. But whenever you hear even the tiniest snatch of Wyatt's voice, you know that something heavy is going down.

Why, oh why, do we have to hear Robert struggle to breathe in Alifib, when there's some great spine-tingling melodies going on in the background (electric piano and bass, methinks)? The dense air of melancholy surpasses even some of the depths that Peter Hammill's VDGG can lead us through, and when Robert starts off with a tragic melody ... "I can't forsake you, I can't forsqueak you" I believe ... it's really heartbreaking, even if he does appear to be singing to a mouse. Alifie is more of the same with Robert reworking the arrangements to create a different dark place from the same raw material.

He's rarely easy-listening at the best of times, but this one by ol' Robert is in some ways, an unmatched document in prog. Whether the emotion that the powers the music is real or imagined, this album is like a sad story that you keep re-reading in the hope that the ending will change. ... 78% on the MPV scale

On the 1st June 1973 - the former drummer of The Wilde Flowers, Soft Machine and his own band, Matching Mole - Robert Wyatt, fell from a third story window, whilst at a drunken party. The injuries Wyatt sustained were severe and he became a wheelchair bound paraplegic.

This solo album by Robert Wyatt, was the result of his recuperation in Hospital and is a masterpiece from start to finish. No album gives me so much satisfaction as this one and I could play it endlessly and never get bored of it. Infact, I often find myself with different parts of this album going constantly through my brain.

This album brings in such guest performers as: Mike Oldfield, Ivor Cutler and Fred Frith (Henry Cow), Richard Sinclair (Caravan, Hatfield and the North and Camel) and Hugh Hopper (Soft Machine).

This album could easily have been a disaster, but it was far from that, it is has left a major incision in not only the progressive music world, but the music world in general and has made Robert Wyatt a very well respected individual throughout the world.

Much of the lyrical material on this album may seem a bit confusing, or nonsensical, but it kind of does make a lot of sense to me. The lyrics to Alifib and Alife for instance, seem to be about his time in hospital, lying in bed, with his wife Alfreda Benge (hence Alife, an anagram of her nickname, Alfie) by the side of him, but in reality, Wyatt wrote the lyrics before his untimely accident. Alfie would also have a part to play on this album (more about that under the "Alife" section).

Now to the music itself.

Sea Song

A very heart-felt track and very difficult to review! Wyatt's voice (as it is throughout this album) is desperate sounding and very delicate and fits the mood perfectly. There are some great instrumental passages throughout, interspersed, with some very avant-garde style piano playing by Wyatt. There is also a constant synthesized keyboard sound throughout the track. This is just Wyatt by himself, except for some backing vocals (more just "ahs" actually), which may be synthesized (but I'm not absolutely sure) and Richard Sinclair, who guests on bass. Halfway through, Wyatt starts to "whine" (want of a better word for it) and sing without vocals and the synth is still very dominant, as is the piano. The whole sound draws you in from start to finish and there is not a single dull moment.

A Last Straw

This is a more jazz tinged track, with a very nice bass sound (Hugh Hopper) and yet again the piano and synth sound of Sea Song are dominant. Laurie Allan is playing just on symbols for the majority of this track, which really adds to the overall sound. Once again, Wyatt's vocals are beautiful. There is an ethereal guitar sound that blends into the background as well, being played by Wyatt himself, which adds to all the layers of this track and later becomes a brief - yet restrained and delicate - solo. Once again Wyatt's lyrics are quirky, but they'll get quirkier still with the next track. A Last Straw ends with just a simple descent down a pianos keys, yet is rather poignant and memorable.

Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road

This is where the real fun begins. This track starts with Mongezi Feza's multi-tracked and tape-looped trumpet, that creates a very surreal sound; also present are piano and bass. This is a very trippy track, which has a nice constant beat, that I cannot help but tap my foot too. This song I believe plays with reels and loops (continuing on from his experimentations from his debut solo album, as well as his late work with Soft Machine) and creates something rather unique, especially with Wyatt's lyrics. The lyrics, I believe, are about his time in hospital, as this track was written post-accident. Ivor Cutler also has a part to play near the end, speaking in his wonderful Scottish accent (his voice would later be heard on the final track). With the late South African Mongezi Feza's trumpet continuing on what seems a weird (perhaps reversed) loop, this track ends with a great sound, with a very prominent bass (Richard Sinclair) as well. Alas, Mongezi Feza sadly died not long after Rock Bottom's release, making this track even more poignant.

Alifib

This track goes hand-in-hand with the track Alife and is very much symbolic Wyatt at his best. Wyatt simply chants Alife, in a very despairing way at the beginning of this track and to the uninitiated, may be disturbing (which of course, is the intention). I love the keyboard intro, because, even though it's relatively simple, it works so well and creates the exact atmosphere for what is to follow. The "Alife" chanting continues on when Wyatt's keyboard playing begins, accompanied by perhaps Hugh Hopper's best bass solo (and one of my favourites by any bass player), to create a compelling track, which some people may find off-putting, yet sound like nothing else I have ever heard. Hopper's bass solo intensifies as the track continues and the track gets more and more interesting and invasive on the brain. With around 3:15 to go, Wyatt's vocals start, with some very memorable words indeed. "Alife my larder, Alife my larder". "I can't forsake you, or forsqueak you". Meanwhile, the "Alife" chanting continues, as does the very interesting keyboard playing (and Hopper's gorgeous bass). This and the next track are possibly the most difficult tracks for the unintiated, to get into (and appreciate). This is Wyatt at his absolute best.

Alife

Alife continues straight on from where Alifib ended, with an almost unnoticable segue, with Gary Windo's sax playing. There is a constant bongo-style drumming throughout the track (played by Wyatt on "James' Drum") and the usual piano playing. This is where Gary Windo shines on saxophone, creating a dark and desparate feel, which again, could be quite disturbing, if the listener was in a depressive state of mind. Wyatt's vocals continue on from the previous track and we hear "Alife my larder" and "I can't forsake you or forsqueak you" once more, as well as further quirky, yet compelling and (to me), not meaningless lyrics. One of the ingenius things about this track, is the fact that the lyrics are exactly the same as Alifib, yet are sung in a completely different way; very purposeful and important. This is a desperate track indeed and the music marches along, cutting through a once more cheerful atmosphere and bringing in even dark overtones. Windo's sax playing is vicious, desperate and played with the anger that this track deserves and is possibly the best of this late woodwind player's work. A purely emotional and often gut-wrenching tour-de-force, full of despair, anger and relief. Also not to be forgotten is the end of the track, where Alfreda Benge (Wyatt's wife), has kind of chanting and spoken lyrics, whereby she responds to what Wyatt sang about earlier in the song, with her own little anecdote. The synth continues on and nicely segues into the next track.

Little Red Robin Hood Hit the Road

This track begins joltily after the previous tune, but turns into a tour-de-force for Mike Oldfield on guitar (multi-tracked again), in his distinctive style. Yet again the drumming is mainly symbols based at the beginning. Wyatt's singing seems to be more at the back of the mix, but that's not a problem, it works perfectly, creating a disturbing track once more, where Wyatt repeats "Can't you see them", whilst Oldfield's guitar cuts and swathes through with ease. Everything suddenly slows down and we hear the beginning of Ivor Cutler's concertina... his very distinctive spoken word vocals then begin. Yet none of this detracts from the overall sound of the album. Fred Frith also plays Viola over Cutler's concertina and creates yet more wonderful atmosphere. The lyrics are once again quirky and compelling. Cutler's small laugh winds up the album and once the track ends, one feels very empty inside; and to me, I feel I have just witnessed (sonically speaking) something very special indeed.

This is one of my favourite albums of all time and it always hits home and never disappoints me. Rock Bottom is recommended for those who are aware of Wyatt's output in Soft Machine and Matching Mole, but also for those who are interested in something that little bit different. It was an instant classic for me.

5/5 stars and faultless throughout.

Enclosed in a distinctive, brightly-coloured cover showing two people diving at the bottom of the sea (courtesy of Alfreda Benge, Robert Wyatt's other half), this album does not make for comfortable listening - especially when one is aware of the circumstances behind it. Paralysed from the neck down after a fall from the fourth floor in 1973, Wyatt had to reconsider and rearrange his whole life with the knowledge he'd never be able to walk again, let alone be a drummer. This record tells the story of how he came to terms with this new situation, and survived - a story of triumph over adversity, a celebration of the strength and hidden resources of the human spirit.

"Rock Bottom" straddles the line between the Canterbury sound, with all its quirks and jazzy leanings, and the fully-fledged avant-garde tendencies that Wyatt would embrace later on in his career. The guesting musicians read like a roster of Canterbury and RIO aristocracy , with Richard Sinclair and Hugh Hopper sharing bass duties, Laurie Allan on drums and Henry Cow's Fred Frith, Mongezi Feza and Ivor Cutler appearing on some of the tracks. The music is at times a rather demanding listen, often hauntingly beautiful, often downright disturbing, almost atonal. It is intimate, poignant, sad, yet infused with a sense of being still alive and wanting to fight back, even in the toughest of situations. The lyrics veer from the pure poetry of "Sea Song" and "The Last Straw" to the sheer quirkiness of "Little Red Robin Hood Hit the Road", down to the mixture of poignancy and nonsense that is "Alifib/Alife" - where Wyatt seems to revert to a sort of childish state and is severely, though affectionately, reprimanded by Alfreda, who tells him she's not just his provider of food ("I'm not your larder"), but rather his partner and lover. A skewed love song, perhaps, but very moving indeed.

The album opens with the ethereal, delicate, intensely lyrical "Sea Song", where Wyatt is accompanied by Richard Sinclair's precise, understated bass. The mood continues on the following "The Last Straw", where Hopper's dazzling bass work adds a more definitely jazzy feel. Then, things get increasingly crazier with "Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road", characterised by Mongezi Feza's distinctly avant-garde use of trumpet and Ivor Cutler's funny Scottish accent. "Alifib/Alife" starts with a droning keyboard intro over which Wyatt's heavy, rythmical breathing can be heard - disturbing for want of a better word - before his whining, nonsensical singing starts. Hugh Hopper's bass provides a solid backbone for this unique track, which sometimes feels as if one was looking at a very private moment in the life of two human beings bonded by love in the most difficult circumstances. Album closer "Little Red Robin Hood Hit the Road" sees a brilliant guitar performance by guest star Mike Oldfield and more Scottish-flavoured madness courtesy of Ivor Cutler (who also plays concertina). Wyatt's vocals, though always an acquired taste for me, are at their most effective on this album - at turns plaintive, ironical, desperate, or just plain quirky, as in the closing section of "Sea Song".

"Rock Bottom" (excellently produced by Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason) is certainly not an easy album to get into, nor will it be to many people's taste. It requires repeated listens in order to be properly appreciated, and the darkness of its subject matter is sure to put off those who prefer the fake angst of many Prog Metal bands, but cannot cope with real-life tragedy. However, for those who like to keep an open mind and explore every aspect of prog, it will definitely be a more than worthwile purchase.

Rock Bottom is a hypnotic, repetitive and borderline insane Canterburian progressive record. The songs are quite different from one to another. "Sea Song" announces the bizarre & unusual character of the album, and the last 2 minutes are particularly delightful, featuring Robert Wyatt's Canterburian voice style and Camel-esque keyboards arrangements. On "Last Straw", the refined cymbals patterns give an overall jazzy tendency. Robert Wyatt's extravaganza is materialized by his usual excentric vocals, that amazingly fit well with the music; the piano in the background is very hypnotic; some psychedelic echoed guitar remind the early Pink Floyd. "Little red riding hood" contains psychedelic echoed trumpets a la Art Zoyd; the repetitive loaded texture is very hypnotic and some part of the rhythm seems to be recorded reverse. "Alifib" is at least as strange as the other previous tracks: just hear the repetitive human breath combined with a curious, restless and inoffensive electric guitar solo: strange, you must admit! The Canterburian style is however confirmed by the inoffensive background organ. "Alife" is VERY strange and dissonant, as reveals the presence of VERY twisted sax sounds. "Little red robin hood" has the early King Crimson's influence, as revealed by the Frippian electric guitars, played by Mike Oldfield, and by the floating melodramatic Mellotron.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Robert Wyatt having broken ground with the Soft Machine, made some excellent experimental music with Matching Mole and on his debut 'End of an Ear' moved on to create the masterpiece that is Rock Bottom. Wyatt would begin to take a more song driven approach, while still being as experimental as ever. Rock Bottom is unlike no other album ever recorded, it is truly unique. Not everyone will see it's glory, in fact few will be able on their first listen. It's the perfect example of a rewarding album.

There is little of traditional rock on this album. Instead there are the sounds off jazz and electronic music along with the melodic touch of pop music. But to describe the sounds of Rock Bottom by simply using genres does not do justice to the unique sound of the album. Using minmalist percussion, woodwind instruments, delicate basslines, smooth acid rock guitar tones, and layers of almost dissonant synths the album gains a very surreal and mysterious atmosphere. Wyatt delicate and tender voice as an instrument, while also using it to express surreal, stream-of-conscience lyrics that add further to the albums atmosphere.

I have listened to Rock Bottom countless times and each listen is a unique experience. Everytime I slip into the albums surreal world I notice something new and interesting. There are many things going on in the album, layers of synths and effect, but at the same time the album is minimalistic; everything there serves a pourpose and adds to the experience of the album. Nick Mason truly did a fabulous job producing this album and capturing the talent of Wyatt and his fellow musicians.

The tender and melodic Sea Song opens the album, with those droning sythns giving a backdrop to simple drum beat and Wyatt's sensitive and beautiful voice. Rarely have I heard lyrics so deep, personal, and searching yet surreal and odd. Rumors claim they are about his stay in the hospital after he fell out of a building, but they were written before the accident occured.

Much of the album follow a pattern of dissonant yet ambient synths, minmalistic percussion, improvisational jazz, all giving Wyatt a brackdrop for his singing and melodic piano. In some cases this would get repetive and boring, but it never does. This idea works so well that it never gets tiresome or dire. It is a brilliant balance between melody, pure atmosphere, and improvisation. The whole idea of the song still exist, but it is brilliantly expanded upon.

The album ends on a very bizzare note, with Ivor Cultler rehearsing a spoken word part written by Wyatt over a sea of backwards violins. The words he says are positively strange and in a way disturbing, his thick Scottish accent being perfect for his role. Rock Bottom is a perfect title for the album because the album is like a mysterious and surreal journey through the sea, everything seeming like a foggy dream. While this album may be hard to tackle and understand, it's definetely one of the most magnificent things ever recorded and is case for genius. Anyone searching for an experiece that transends common music will find Rock Bottom a perfect album.

This is an album of fragile, shimmering beauty; quite possibly the most moving album by any artist in the Prog Archives.

But is this the sort of music most people would identify as Prog? It's got nothing in common with the flashy solos and pseudo-orchestral climaxes favoured by Yes or ELP. Although several well-known musicians from the Canterbury Scene participated in its making, their contributions tend to be subdued. Hugh Hopper plays the most wonderful bass solo of his life on 'Alifib', and Mike Oldfield's contribution to 'Little Red Robin Hood Hit the Road' is the most heart-wrenching music I've ever heard from him, but there's no trace of Canterbury-style rock-jazz. I find it instructive to compare the original ROCK BOTTOM with Wyatt's live performance on THEATRE ROYAL DRURY LANE. On the latter, synths are virtually absent, instrumental improvisations are extended, the electric piano dominates, and the result sounds like ROCK BOTTOM as interpreted by Matching Mole.

Back in the 1970s, the friend who introduced me to this album, used to play 'Sea Song' and say, with a happy grin: 'Isn't that lovely? As sublime as anything by J.S. Bach!' I stilll agree. Few prog artists have come up with such a sad and delicate opening. (Where on earth did Wyatt get that unique keyboard sound?) No other prog vocalist ever wrote such mysteriously poetic lyrics (without a hint of pretension) or brought their opening number to a close with such original (but also unsettling) wordless scat-singing.

And 'Sea Song' is just one of ROCK BOTTOM's treasures. The album's second tune, 'A last Straw', starts with another great intro (piano, bass, cymbals, synths and possibly slide guitar - thank you, Nick Mason, for making the album sound superb!) and ends on what has to be the most astonishing anti-virtuoso piano solo in prog history. (Oh, how I love that solo!) Then comes 'Little Red Riding Hood Hits the Road', which I used to find too bright on LP, but it sounds wonderfully clean on CD and will make you see things no other music has shown you - and how many albums truly achieve that kind of effect?

Unexpected depths of pain are released on 'Alifib', which contains Hugh Hopper's aforementioned solo. Some listeners will find it hard to digest Gary Windo's jittery sax outburst on the next track, 'Alife', but its qualities are an integral part of the ROCK BOTTOM experience, and any irritation is soon dispersed by the majestic opening of the final piece, which (rather enigmatically) describes the experiences of English garden moles. Wyatt's repetitious singing, and the band's playing, then fade, making place for a droll ditty (very much like a nursery rhyme) sung by Ivor Cutler and beautifully accompanied on viola by Fred Frith. After the physical and mental suffering evoked on the previous two tracks, the ending comes as glorious relief.

Wyatt had already written the basic structure of the music for this his second solo album, plus the lyrics for "Alife", "Sea Song" and "A Last Straw" when on the night before the new group was to have it's first rehearsal he fell from a fourth floor window breaking his spine. He spent the first three months in the hospital flat on his back until he received a wheelchair which allowed him in the coming months to play on a piano in the visitors room. This is where he continued to prepare his songs. When he was finally released from the hospital he was ready to record this album. Those on board to help him were HENRY COW members Fred Frith and Mongezi Feza as well as Mike Oldfield, Richard Sinclair, Hugh Hopper and Laurie Allan from GONG and more. Nick Mason from PINK FLOYD is the producer of these pastoral, chaotic, desperate, emotional and at times humerous songs. Robert's vocals seem so vulnerable.

"Sea Song" is one of my favourite songs on here with piano and vocals leading the way. "A Last Straw" has Canterbury written all over it and is another highlight that opens with keys and bass as vocals follow. Another vocal melody from Wyatt as the drums come in playing a more prominant role now. "Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road" is more avant with the chaotic sax and percussion. Sadly Mongezi Feza the sax player would pass away a year later from pneumonia. Keys come in followed by a vocal melody then vocals. A monologue from Ivor Cutler late in the song as well as some great bass lines from Sinclair.

"Alifib" and "Alife" are like parts one and two about Robert's wife Alfie. These are amazing pieces of music. The first part has Wyatt's desperate voice saying Alifib over and over again throughout most of the song until we get his fragile vocals before 4 minutes. Keyboard melodies and bass provide the background music to this song. Part 2 is my favourite track and we get percussion, clarinet and vocals leading the way. Sax after 3 minutes and keys with spoken words from his wife Alfie. "Little Red Robin Hood Hit The Road" is in my top three here of favourite tunes. Mike Oldfield really makes his presence felt, and you know it's him right away, there is no mistaking his style and tone. The drums are well done and we get more spoken words from Ivor Cutler before some viola from Fred Frith. There are dissonant sounds to end it.

If I was to evaluate this record on the music alone I might say a solid 4 stars, but this album goes beyond the music doesn't it. Robert Wyatt is one talented and influential man i'll say that much. Even one of my favourite bands ANEKDOTEN lists him as an influence and a friend. The emotion on this album is beyond words.

Great canterbury album, or greatest canterbury album? Robert Wyatt's second work goes much deeper than many plowing the same musical furrow, both in terms of invention and drama - "Rock Bottom" demonstrates how a feeling of intimacy can bring extra warmth and life to a great set of songs.

Wyatt's voice is personal and much more compulsive than that of a polished rock singer under these circumstances, and whether he's delivering emotional words in a matter-of-fact way, performing his own vocal trumpet solo or just harmonizing gently, his technically flawed yet charming and irresistible style is the only one appropriate for "Rock Bottom."

Despite that, this album isn't all that gentle - most of the songs here are mixed loud, busy and dense, with - dare I say it? - a little pomp to the proceedings. Again, Wyatt's voice is like gravity here, anchoring the songs no matter how ambitious they become. All the songs are a little repetitious (naturally, as each is at least five minutes long) and none unfolds delicately - most begin suddenly and remain at an energetic level throughout. The lack of "light and shade" on side A doesn't seem to do the album a disservice, and instead gives it a vaguely hypnotic atmosphere. (Perhaps this can be attributed to Nick Mason's production? I hear he was once a member of a cult psychedelic outfit...) "Alifib" becoming "Alifie" represents the album's moment of calm, at least in terms of sheer pitch, though it has a textural, counterpointed quality, because after all, this is a progressive rock album of a much higher quality than many of the symphonic bands could ever have attained; inactivity is not mistaken for beauty, here - beauty is captured directly onto the record! If side A is intense, side B is still that much more poignant.

Happily, one of the smallest elements of "Rock Bottom" is the guitar playing which remains subdued (you won't hear many riffs or licks, and there's no gallop to any of the songs, but there is a great, shining, Oldfieldian solo on the closing piece) and although the album is often layered, you won't hear waves of distorted or chorus-y guitar filling the soundspace with sludge. Perhaps Wyatt, being an appreciator of avant-garde and contemporary music himself, preferred to give the traditional, "erudite" instruments more bearing and focus. This reviewer applauds the decision and regards this album as another sign that the guitar's presence in no way relates to heavyness.

A lot of what takes place does so in a minor key, and sometimes in a modal way - some of the above reviews have referred to "Rock Bottom" as being calm or else whimsical, and this reviewer has to disagree; this is a tense record, and although you could mistake Wyatt's lyrical style for being light-hearted and silly, every song bears a sense of sadness, of regret and of unresolved tragedy.

This has to be heard to believed. The circumstances of the album's origin aside (and to find out about these, just read every previous review - morbid, isn't it!) "Rock Bottom" is in any case a collection of life-changing songs. I'll recommend this to symph-heads, metal-heads and jazzmen alike; buy, buy, buy!

After reading the excellent reviews on this album, on PA I though I had to own a copy. I'm afraid to say , I cant see what the fuss is all about, really. I don't find anything exciting here, only boring pieces.The rhythms are repetitive an unintristing to my ears.Not a piece make me listen again this Rock bottom. To be short i don't enjoy this work, the keyboardes played by Robert is unique to many listners, but to me is awful, not even the guitar of Mike Oldfield helps the album to be a total dissaster. Sorry not to be among the fans of this album,2 stars for this one.

If you are shy person, stay away from this album. This one is so intimate that a listener feels almost uncomfortable.

Of course, that will be revealed only after repeated listening. It is difficult to digest, and it might sound like a set of whimsical noodlings. This is the album that took the longest time period before I started to really appreciate it. And then, the beauty starts to reveal itself; between each note. Between two integers, an infinity of beauty, emotion, so dense and desperate. Honestly, I don't trust Mr. Wyatt (and I'm not sure if anyone does) when he says songs on Rock Bottom weren't influenced by his personal tragedy. But that's the issue I won't be mentioning again.

The songs are based around piano, and could be appreciated both as a meditative concept and as a evolving, multi-layered body that it's rewarding to observe; in both cases - the lowest common denominator will be an emotion, bordering on madness. It will take you to the extremes: while nit not nit not and Wyatt's desperate, deep chords will bring you to the edge of sanity; mellow, minimalistic synth layers will make you wish to hug this little big album next to your heart, like a wounded dove.

We are taking for granted some things, without realizing how lucky we are. The little blue planet just happened to be on a right place and of perfect size to provide life. And this album also - it just happened, all the parameters were fine, now we can treasure it forever.

Even though I´m not a fan of, or even know a lot about, the Canterbury scene, I do understand some works transcend the limits of a genre. And this is one of them. The sheer power of the music makes you enjoy and listen to this album. Ok, it is not easy listening in any way, you have to pay atention, but once you do, you´re hooked. That´s what I feel about Rock Bottom. The music is sometimes strange, too jazzy for my taste, but still it captivates me. That´s the best sign of an excellent prog CD.

Can´t say much more about it. Musicanship is excellent, as usual, especially if you take a look at the all star group of people who plays on the record (Mike Oldfield, among others). Production is ok for the time. The music is that really counts, I guess. Every prog fan should listen to this CD with an open mind. It is well worth the efford. Four stars at least.

"Rock Bottom" is the 2nd full-length studio album by UK rock artist Robert Wyatt. The album was released through Virgin Records in July 1974. The material featured on the album were mostly written during a stay in Venice in early 1973, but not recorded at that point as Wyatt was concentrating his efforts on working on a possible third Matching Mole album. Wyatt´s fall in July 1973 from a fourth-floor window which left him paralyzed from the waist down, altered his priorities though. Unable to play drums he quit the Matching Mole project (other sources say the project was already abandoned right after the release of "Matching Mole's Little Red Record" in late 1972), and began arranging the material he had written in Venice in early 1973. This happened during his recuperation from his accident. The basic tracks were recorded in February 1974 and overdubs were recorded in April and May of 1974.

The music on "Rock Bottom" is quite unique, experimental, dark and haunting. Robert Wyatt´s fragile and distinct sounding voice is intense, the delivery deeply emotional, and the lyrics are clever (sometimes gibberish, but still cleverly arranged). It´s rock music, but of an adventurous and progressive variation (with heavy nods toward jazz). The album features a host of guests (including Richard Sinclair, Hugh Hopper, Laurie Allan, Mike Oldfield, Fred Frith, and Ivor Cutler) and in addition to the more "ordinary" rock instrumentation of guitar, bass, and drums, the soundscape also features percussion, brass, and keyboards. The drumming on the album is mostly subtle and there are actually more parts without drums than with drums, so this is not loud rhythmic based rock music by any means. The tracks can seem a bit repetitive in nature/structure, but the repetition is one of the elements which create the dark and haunting atmosphere of the album.

While Robert Wyatt´s debut solo album "The End of an Ear (1970)" and "Rock Bottom" have the experimental songwriting approach in common, they are two very different sounding releases. The former often touches inaccessible avant garde territory (and frequently use dissonance), while the latter is a release focused on atmosphere. That should not be misinterpreted as if "Rock Bottom" is an easily accessible album, because it certainly isn´t, and many listeners will probably find themselves challenged by the experimental use of sound and structure. It´s an album which is calm yet intense. Dark and serious but at the same time greatly humourous (just listen to the ending minutes of "Little Red Robin Hood Hit the Road"). So there are great contrasts and effectful dynamics at play here.

"Rock Bottom" features a warm, detailed, and organic sounding production, which does the many layers of the music justice. The production was handled by Nick Mason (Pink Floyd) and praise has to go to him for managing to create such a well sounding production for music as unconventional as this. Upon conclusion "Rock Bottom" is one of those albums which stand out in an artist´s discography, but also on the music scene in general. It´s a completely unique listening experience and one that needs to be approached with an open mind. It won´t be an album that evey music listener will be able to appreciate, but the artistic vision and boldness in creating something as original as this should always be respected. A 5 star (100%) rating is deserved.

Sea Song, Robert Wyatt, 1974

StarStarStarStarStar

Robert Wyatt's sophomore solo effort, Rock Bottom, famously came after his unfortunate accident, which prevented him from seriously drumming and touring, and, as mentioned in the sleeve notes, forcing him to focus more on the singing and arrangement of his work. While The End Of An Ear was a very respectable jazz-rock album, the new Wyatt has an emotional resonance and connection that is simply staggering, as well as a mouth-watering guest list. Rock Bottom is an astoundingly good album, with perhaps 4 of the songs being just about ideal, and the other two are also extremely strong and individual, and moreover it works as a whole, the idea of hitting bottom, of being at your lowest point and yet not being that badly off, is repeated throughout... it's a serious and yet seriously silly lyrical work, and one of the subtlest and most understated in progressive rock. Thus, noting the coincidental fact that, without a single strain, Rock Bottom is one of the most exotic and excitingly quirky albums I've heard, this album gets a well-deserved five stars.

Sea Song's strange, optimistic, but mournful, romanticism is the perfect opener. A measured tap on a single hollowish drum acts as a constant for the gorgeous shimmering keyboards (incredibly tasteful mellotron, a shimmering foreground and some moonlit dancing from the pianos and the most moving synthesiser part I've heard) and Wyatt's uniquely emotional voice blending in with them from the flowing verses to the school of aquatic sounds in a soft, longing, wordless conclusion. The lyrics are yet another attraction, with playful marine imagery merging in with the song's genuine, impassioned thoughts on love; and let us not forget Richard Sinclair's quiet, understated, low bass part, nor how incredibly moving that sung conclusion is, nor the calculated contrasts of the challenging low piano rolls... all in all, this song is as perfect as songs get.

A Last Straw is a piece I'd initially thought of as slightly clunky, now, I have to admit that it's still fantastic, even if its introduction and occasional lines don't flow quite as smoothly as I'd like them to. A smooth low jazz jam enters the song, with Wyatt employing a really neat guitar sound (the solo is just incredible), and a fantastic rhythm section consisting of Hugh Hopper and Laurie Allan more than capably pulling into an essentially improvised-sounding piece over which Wyatt's prepared guitar and piano echoes and voice are cast. The pieces of wordless improvisation here, a bubbly vocal creature, a looped guitar solo (in the same sort of manner as Ratledge's organ was on Soft Machine's Third) and a breathy piano conclusion are again the song's highlight/s. So, the sonic texture is really interesting, and, though this is certainly not the best piece here, I can't now see it not being on there, which means it's not lowering the rating.

Little Red Riding Hood Hit The Road is driven initially by a frantic, carnival-sounding trumpet and a rhythm section which consists of energetic work from Richard Sinclair and an array of small percussive creatures. Vanishing trumpet and keyboard segments seem to contrast and supplement all this franticness, as does Wyatt's running vocal (again continually curtailed with an interesting fade), with another shift from seemingly nonsensical and light-hearted lines into an entirely serious and meaningful address (again, romantic: 'But I'll keep on trying, and I'm sure you will too'). This all melts together, following Ivor Cutler's bouncy, lower and more defined voice offering carefully preparatory nonsense (now, it's nonsense, later, it's serious), into a thick wall of trumpet and keyboard and bass and everything quite together sound.

Alifib begins as an almost mantric chanting over Hugh Hopper's confident basswork and a variety of dextrous classical-guitar-sounding solos with a hymnal vibe and saddened keys; this transforms into a medieval-type yearning romantic nonsense-driven-plea with hugely emotive, downcast vocals, and suddenly a dark keyboard chord sequence, panning piano and the hollow sound of James' drum (Wyatt's percussion staple for this one) leaves us sliding along with a snarling bass clarinet (one of my favourite instruments) and Alife, which outpours and reshapes the same lyrics into a childishly possessive vocal part so perfectly and rightly. There's a bit of a neat jazz solo in amongst this... the sophistication and the childishness of the male supplicant, in our case Bob, contrasting with Alife's generosity (Alfreda Benge, Wyatt's then-fiancée). At first, it appears like cleverly arranged nonsense, and then the pattern hits you. It's real, it's relevant. It's pretty accurate in my experience (it just doesn't seem to make sense!). Anyway, Alfie's apparition and winding-down vocal leads out this deluxe suite.

Little Red Robin Hood Hit The Road is a two-part creature, with firstly Wyatt's pessimistic and sad vocal and a full band in attendance (and man, what a line-up, Laurie Allan offering an incredible militaristic drumming performance, Richard Sinclair on bass guitar, Mike Oldfield on guitar, Wyatt on keys)... its impact in terms of sheer destructiveness is something that other artists simply don't do... 'In the gardens of England/dead moles lie inside their holes/The dead-end tunnels crumble/In the rain, underfoot'... no amount of supposedly brutal pseudo-Satanism is going to hit you that hard emotionally with such a sense of destruction. This first part, rounding out with an increasingly intense band and Wyatt's looped 'Can't you see them' vocal, falls off into a weepy baritone concertina (I know because the credits sheet tells me) and Ivor Cutler's miserable, low brogue offering a negativity to contrast completely with his previous appearance, and suddenly, Fred Frith's unwinding viola appears, and the song is slowly unfolding, step by step, fold by fold, moment by moment. The conclusion, at the same time destructive, mocking, and yet, not all that terribly bleak, seems almost logical. As an ending piece, this one's just incredible, crushing, yet hopeful, and it works.

So, if you've read the above, it's obvious I'm a big fan of this one, and slowly gathering more of Wyatt's albums. An obvious five-star record, though it takes time, appreciation and a good sense for, if not necessarily of, humour to really get to know. One of the subtlest, most interesting and most moving records of the classic era, and it strikes me as being just about obscure enough that a lot of reasonably knowledgeable folk might not have it; so, if you're in that number, rush to your nearest store of quality music and order Rock Bottom. Give it a few listens, time to grow, think about it a little, and you probably won't be disappointed.

Rating: Five Stars Favourite Track: Sea Song

Robert Wyatt's Rock Bottom is considered to be the pinnacle of his solo career. This statement is quite understandable after listening to this album a few times, but it's not so much the musicianship or arrangements that make the album so powerful. To be honest, most of this music would never have been considered that noteworthy have it not been for the very personal delivery on the artist's part. Robert Wyatt literally spilled his heart and soul over this material making this release his most personal work to date.

It's almost impossible not to reflect over the connection that the accident, that paralyzed Robert Wyatt from the waist down, had to do with the powerful statement that can be heard on this release. Even though it was claimed that a hefty chunk of the album was written while he was in Venice, in early 1973, prior to the accident. To me, this just proves how much a personal touch can add to even lesser material. Still, I would lie if I said that there weren't a few really exceptional compositions here like the gorgeous album opening Sea Song. Not only does it set a perfect mood for the rest of the album but we also get one of the most chilling vocal and keyboard performances from Wyatt.

A Last Straw fits more in with my original statement about how adding a personal touch to an average composition does a huge difference. This number would have easily slipped by completely unnoticed have it been released at a different stage of the artist's career, while here it just glows and sparkles! The rest of the album consists of two two-parters where Little Red Riding Hood Hit The Road and Little Red Robin Hood Hit The Road never made much sense to me so I just sit back and enjoy the raw energy that is being transitioned though the speakers. Alifib and Alife, on the other hand, are just magnificent pieces where the first one is half atmospheric instrumental and half vocal driven ballad while the second one is just pure madness put on a vinyl record. Naturally I have to give the latter an upper hand!

I might not be that original when I say that Rock Bottom is a record well worth your attention, still this is exactly what I'm doing. It honestly doesn't matter if you're a fan of the Canterbury sound or if you've familiar with Robert Wyatt's previous collaborations since this is one of those rare albums where the mood of the artist transitions every barrier making it an excellent addition to any prog rock music collection.

***** star songs: Sea Song (6:33) Alife (6:33)

**** star songs: A Last Straw (5:48) Little Red Riding Hood Hit The Road (7:42) Alifib (6:57) Little Red Robin Hood Hit The Road (6:08)

At what point do you decide you don't like an album vs. just haven't given it enough time to "get it"?

I wish I knew, because I would like to feel what others are getting out of Rock Bottom. Unfortunately, I think I'm to the point of simply not liking it.

Here's why I think that's the case. Maybe it's just that I'm an instrumentalist and really have a tough time paying attention to lyrics unless they make themselves apparent to me. Perhaps that means I'm lazy. Maybe I'm not into Rock Bottom because even though I know about the personal tragedy at the heart of much of these tunes, I just don't feel the pain, the searching, the questioning. Perhaps that means I'm insensitive.

Either way, I don't feel good about not liking this album, but there it is. I value Wyatt as a friend and contributor to many prog musicians who I love, and as one who has made numerous memorable contributions himself.

I just don't think the drones, noodles and gibberish that characterize much of this album are up my alley. However, I do enjoy the ambiance, the textures, and the syncopated rhythms. I just don't feel it in my soul.

Maybe when I hit Rock Bottom, I'll turn to this album and understand. I generally hope this doesn't happen, but part of the progger in me hopes it does.

Soft Machine's co-founder Robert Wyatt recorded his first solo album still being its member. Than he left disappointed by band's musical direction, but didn't continued with solo releases. Instead he founded short-lived band Matching Mole.

This,his second solo album, was released when Matching Mole finished its existence as well. During recordings for this release Wyatt's life was changed radically: he felt from house window and loosed the use of his legs at all.As a result, he couldn't play drums anymore and concentrated more on vocals (as well as some keyboards and percussion).

Wyatt always was the source of psychedelic lyricism starting from his early musical works, but this album is his absolute peak of intimacy,openest and artistic sensitivity. Extremely unique mix of quite liquid,ambient sound,mostly all slow/mid tempo, with beautiful tunes and nervous and fragile atmosphere. It is not jazz,prog rock or even casual Canterbury sound - it's "Wyattness", his unique sound and atmosphere. With accent more on emotional field than on technical mastership, this album is one rare recording that you don't hear,but feel. Every time you listen to this album, you just feel it again and again, it looks that there are something deeper under quite accessible and even simple in moments music. And that "something" is happily not political message (which will become so usual for Wyatt on his later solo works),but great artist's naked soul with all his pain and hope.

Absolutely best Wyatt's album ever. My rating is 4,5 rounded to 5.

A beautiful but simple album, sung by the the paper thin vocals of Robert Wyatt. A very layered recording with lots of instruments which somehow are made to sound very melancholic indeed.

Wow, this is much better than I remember.... Brilliant trumpets are mixed in and out of reversed vocals and instrumental parts creating an environment where you truly feel you're drowning in a sea of sound.

This is from the unusual end of 'Canterbury' - a much more downbeat affair, after the tragic accident suffered by a debilitated Robert Wyatt which could never have been recorded otherwise. A pain stricken and emotional outing only enlivened by the marvelous Ivor Cutler sputterings towards the end.

A personal tragedy resulting in an LP of beauty. A life affirming album sung by a man full of dignity despite his hardship. Could make you miserable if you're in the wrong frame of mind though.

Recently, I've been getting into Soft Machine, and I realised that the thing about that group I enjoyed the most was Robert Wyatt. His drumming, vocals and lyrics make the songs he plays on so unique and special. It didn't take me long to discover his solo albums, and consequently 'Rock Bottom'. I was immediately mesmerised by this shimmering album, and in a week, I'd managed to play it over ten times without getting bored in the slightest. Imagine my delight then, when I found that it was ranked as the second best Canterbury Scene album on ProgArchives.

First, some history. As you have probably read elsewhere, Wyatt had been writing the material for this album when he took a tragic fall from a fourth storey window, permanently paralysing his legs. In the eight months he was in hospital, he had to come to terms with the fact that he would never be able to drum in the usual sense again, let alone walk. Somehow, Wyatt was able to capture the emotions of these troubling times in the album, making 'Rock Bottom' one of the most intimate and personal albums ever.

Like any good solo album, the list of musicians appearing is permeated by some real stars. Canterbury stars Hugh Hopper and Richard Sinclair take turns in playing the bass on the album, whilst Nick Mason from Pink Floyd produces. Scottish poet Ivor Cutler rounds off the album, and on the same song, we hear the legendary Mike Oldfield on guitar, and Henry Cow star Fred Frith on the viola. With Wyatt's beautiful vocals on top, this is a musical journey you won't forget.

Sea Song is the obvious choice for the start of the album, as it is a brilliant stand-alone track. This is a synth led song with piano accompaniment, and the production is very clean. The lyrics are the highlight of this track, as they are bizarre, but strangely beautiful, just like everything Wyatt does. This is a simple song, with no chorus, and a long outro. Wyatt's wordless vocals are impeccable when he decorates the outro with them. A very sad song, and one that perfectly captures Wyatt's emotional struggle at that time, even if not lyrically.

Last Straw is my least favourite song on the album, but that doesn't mean it's not brilliant. This is a jazzier track, with Laurie Allan on drums. There are simple lyrics, but the best part of the track is Wyatt's signature 'wah-wah' vocal effect in between verses. What's amazing, is that he sounds like this live, and on certain recordings, he does much more with his voice than on here. An impressive song.

Little Red Riding Hood Hit The Road is a more experimental song. The song features Wyatt on the bongos providing a fast beat for the chords in the background. The best word to describe this kind of music would be drone. Throughout the song, there is a sense of urgency that drives the song towards its finish. Amazingly enough, the lyrics between 2:53 and 3:40 are reversed between 3:40 and 4:23, but still fit perfectly. So perfectly that your humble reviewer didn't realise until this very listening (after listening to it 12 times already). Ivor Cutler gives a quick segment of the speech from the end of the album before the song ends. For managing to sneak backwards lyrics in without me noticing, this song recieves full credit.

Side 2 begins with a two part suite, which is seemingly dedicated to Wyatt's partner, Alfreda Benge. The first part of the suite is Alifib, and the first striking thing about this track is Wyatt's heavy breathing. However, this is not just breathing, he is actually saying the word 'Alife' over and over again. In fact, he does this 318 times, which lasts the entire of the first part of the suite. The first three and half minutes are taken up by a beautiful synth solo. On the 169th 'Alife', Robert Wyatt begins singing. The lyrics are nonsensical, like a children's nursery rhyme, but they are incredibly resonant, and seem to hold infinite meaning to Wyatt. This is the saddest track on the record, and probably the track that convinced me to get it. In the second half, Alife, things get more experimental. The lyrics from the first part are repeated but rather than singing the lyrics, Wyatt takes to saying them with no rhythm at all as if he is going insane. This is quite a disturbing song, with the dissonant saxophone in the background. There is a long experimental instrumental, where the sax takes a life of its own. Right before the end of the song, Benge herself enters and concludes the song with more nonsensical lyrics. Strangely enough, this is an incredibly romantic song, when you see it as a tribute to her.

Little Red Robin Hood Hit The Road is perhaps my favourite song on the record. In my opinion, this is the closest the record comes to conventional prog rock, with Mike Oldfield's amazing guitar solo, Wyatt's powerful lyrics and Laurie Allan's rocky drumming. The lyrics 'In the garden of England...' remind me of Genesis's 'Selling England By The Pound'. The song finishes with a sort of nonsense poem by Ivor Cutler, which sounds amazingly powerful with the concertina and viola in the background. Maniacal laughter closes the album. After finishing this song, it's good to pause and reflect on the astonishing album you've just heard.

This is an emotional rollercoaster album that is full of contradictions. It's nonsenical, but at the same time full of meaning. It's simple, but at the same time incredibly complex. It's innocent and naive, but at the same time incredibly provocative. It's sad and depressing, but in a way joyous and triumphant. It's loose and liquid but at the same time, intricate and well thought out. The front cover shows a beautiful delicate pencil drawn image by Benge, with a girl with balloons in the sea, perhaps representing the first song on the album. The delicateness of the artwork reflects how delicate this album is, and how delicate Wyatt would have been after his fall. I could play this album over and over and never get bored, and it could even be one of my desert island discs. Needless to say, this album gets 5 wonderful stars, for being a work of utter genius.

Recorded in the wake of Wyatt's life-changing accident which left him without the use of his legs and therefore unable to drum as he previously used to, Rock Bottom is the most beautiful and haunting album Wyatt ever made, and one of the best to come out of the Canterbury scene. Haunting submarine soundscapes construct an album packed with love (especially when the subject of Alfreda Benge, Wyatt's partner who he married on the day of the album's release comes up), anger, frustration and hope. Love songs are ten a penny in rock music, but it takes a rare sort of confidence to invite the object of said song on to cap off the performance by fondly rebuking your hyperbole; this is precisely what Wyatt does. The closing performance by Ivor Cutler is the eccentric capstone on a very strange structure indeed, and one which has yet to cease yielding its secrets and treasures.

A powerhouse performance of a man at his lowest point.

Robert Wyatt was recovering from a horrendous fall breaking his legs and his spirit. The remains of that shattered spirit is injected into every vocal and musical instrumentation on "Rock Bottom". The melancholy of the album is astounding; it overflows with sadness and yet one could not sense any bitterness in Wyatt's vocals. He is so reserved apart from the Soft Machine and Matching Mole among other projects. Here we have the paraplegic man in solitude at his piano in his most reflective thought provoking mood. His fragile vocals are soothing and emotionally charged but there is no self pity. The music ranges from beauty to inner rage appropriate to the flowing organic atmospheres. This one grows slowly on the listener like crawling poison through the veins and is definitely one to savour if you want to hear the inner depths of a man's soul laid bare. Wyatt opens up his spirit, his mind, his soul to anyone who would dare to listen.

'Sea Song' is one of his quietest songs with a powerful ending with swirling synths and intonations of Wyatt's angst driven emotion. Richard Sinclair's bassline and Wyatt's gentle piano opens 'A Last Straw'. Wyatt indulges in some of his ad lib scat style but its okay. He really shines on vocals on "Rock Bottom". Some nice guitar breaks on this lift the spirits.

'Little Red Robin Hood Hit the Road' is more towards the experimental Soft Machine style, with wild sax and Wyatt gasping for air, perhaps reliving his tragedy through music. He ad libs some cries of desperation "stop it, oh deary me, what I heaven's name." The music reverses into backwards as does Wyatt's vocals and the result is very unsettling but appropriate in projecting the awful torment of losing the use of his legs. The narration is an incoherent Wyatt at his lowest point and then dissonant music builds with truly chilling effect. Fred Frith's violin has a Celtic flavour.

'Alifib' begins with the pulsations of Wyatt's breathing as though strapped to a life machine in a coma, thus a re-enactment of the situation he had faced. The guitar is trilling nicely over a layer of ethereal keyboards and bass. Wyatt's vocals are mixed to the front and are full of disconsolate tones. The melody is rather pretty but still have dark nuances. It changes into Gary Windo's sax squeaks that speak insanity and Wyatt lapses into madness with vocals such as "Alife my larder, Alife my larder, I can't forsake you, or forsqueak you." The dissonance of piano barricaded by a downbeat melody and depressed sax is an astounding combination. One may be reminded of Van der Graaf Generator here with the great Jaxon on sax. At times the sax is blown without any noise penetrating through; I have never heard the sax used so intensely, it just screams in spasms of agony, and is very disturbing to the ears. The song ends with more incoherency from Wyatt and a really creepy narration; "I'm a dear little dolly", and then closes with multi buzzing drones.

Without warning Wyatt begins the next song 'Alife' with higher vocals and a marching timpani rhythm. The lyrics are the same as the previous track but it is a completely different style and much more restrained. The low vocals of Ivor Cutler on the final track are burblings of madness "I want it I want it give it to me I give it you back when I finish the lunch tea, I lie in the road, try to trip up the passing cars. Yes, me and the hedgehog, we bursting the tyres all day. As we roll down the highway towards the setting sun, I reflect on the life of the highwayman, yum yum. Now I smash up the telly and what's left of the broken phone." It ends on this note with a manic laugh.

At the end of the album it leaves this reviewer rather drained as it is an intense experience entering the mind of the genius madman and we can really sense his emotions that are in turmoil from the experience. It is a wonderful cathartic album though as it delivers such bold and powerful statements. Wyatt does not hold back his pain and we feel refreshed as we experience it with him from the comfort of our headphones. This album may be Wyatt's finest achievement.

10/10

"Rock Bottom" is more than a beautiful album; it's a somber lesson of life.

Who is the most gifted and most dedicated Prog musician? Of course, there is not a universal answer, but Robert Wyatt sure proved himself that he deserves to be recognized as a musical legend. After the infamous incident, Wyatt was forced on the wheelchair for the rest of his life, thus, he would have never been able to play the drums again. He put his sadness and melancholy in music, creating one of the greatest masterpieces of Rock history; that is 'Rock Bottom', an timeless landmark LP that never seizes to amaze listeners.

Robert Wyatt was and is known as a somewhat crazy fellow, and his music, especially with the Soft Machine, was extremely surreal, yet innovating and bold. His first album as a solo, 'The End Of An Ear', was received sort of poorly but I believe it is yet another extraordinary manifestation of Wyatt's romantic madness. But, only with 'Rock Bottom', did he manage to fully express his genius: these six songs are full of deep melancholy and sadness, as it could have been predictable, but they all have the Wyatt stamp on them, that makes them so idiosyncratic and original. The ex-drummer focuses on organ, keyboards, and his beautifully original voice, another great trait of his music. Then, of course, there are all the guest musicians, from Richard Sinclair to Mike Oldfield, all of them carefully put in their place by Nick Mason's gorgeous production. All of these songs as a consequence have an utterly lush and dense sound, where tons of layers are put together in a dreamy, surreal soundscape, that feels so mature and real, for a grown child like Robert Wyatt. To call this Progressive Rock is superfluous; it bends so many rules, to the point where it is simply an album of it's own genre, isolated from the rest of the music, untouched. It would be easy to say that it's more of a Singer-Songwriter album sunk in the romantic flavors of Canterbury, and smothered by a ethereal, Jazzy tone. Indeed, 'Rock Bottom' is a different world, living underneath the sea, with no other currents influencing it.

This is much more than an album, it is a lesson of life: an observation of radical changes, which can be unexpected and unpleasant, but they have to be accepted, no matter what. This is fully succeeding a challenge that seemed impossible to execute, but turned out to be exemplar to say the least. It might be sad to see such a big, curious baby facing the harshness of the world, but it shows how only with pain, can you find within yourself your greater artist, as Robert Wyatt obviously did.

Starting with 'Sea Song', Wyatt delivers one of the most beautiful songs he's ever done: a sadly romantic piece that makes the listener plunge into the music itself, surrounding himself with suspended-note keyboards, the odd piano virtuosities, and Wyatt's unmistakable, falsetto-like voice. 'A Last Straw' however seems to be a bit darker, thanks to the gorgeous slide guitar (played by Wyatt), the lower pitched vocals, and the magical keyboards accompanying. The vocal harmonies too are dark, haunting, yet so dreamy and somewhat jazzy too. 'Little Red Riding Hood Hit The Road' is much different than the previous two tracks; stretched out, hypnotic, yet beautifully haunting piece that finds it's dorsal spine in the romantic resonance of the trumpets playing for the entire seven minutes of the song. 'Alifib' and 'Alife' seem to go together; the first part much more mellow, with some unique breathing sound by Wyatt, but becomes shortly a wonderfully melancholic piece, when he starts to sing; 'Alife' on the other hand is much more tense, obsessive, with a wild Robert sounding like a madman: the song repeats many ideas of the previous track, putting them however in a completely different, almost creepy context. The last song is the one that sounds the most epic, most ethereal, and the only one where some traces from traditional Progressive can be heard. Once again sounding extremely emotional, it unexpectedly ends humorously, with a man singing with a strong accent.

'Rock Bottom' is not only Robert Wyatt's masterpiece, but also easily one of the best Rock albums ever released, and a key album for the entire Progressive Rock genre. Such deepness in music is rarely heard, and, when we do hear something as profound, there is only Robert to thank for it.

"Jazz didn't teach me how to play drums; Jazz taught me how NOT to play drums." I read this quote from Robert in a book once, but as of June 1, 1973 Mr. Wyatt was no longer a drummer. It's a short story: Robert was intoxicated at a party and fell three stories out of a window. He's been in a wheelchair ever since. Such a shame for one of the more unique rock drummers of the time, yet this very event made Robert focus on what he became known for: odd but unique ways of singing and playing keyboards. Although the music here sounds sad and reflective it was actually written before Wyatt's accident. Although this is his second solo album, with Rock Bottom the former Soft Machine/Matching Mole drummer/singer made his first real statement as a solo artist.

The list of musicians who came out to help Wyatt with this project is impressive: Soft Machine bassist Hugh Hopper, Caravan/Hatfield bassist/vocalist Richard Sinclair, former Gong drummer Laurie Allen; Mike Oldfield adds guitar to one song and Henry Cow's Fred Frith adds viola to the same song. Pink Floyd's Nick Mason produced the album and although he doesn't play any drums here, he does on the single for the cover of the famous Monkees song "I'm A Believer" which was released around the same time as Rock Bottom. Compared to the debut End Of An Ear, this is less chaotic but also more minimalist. There is also nothing here that sounds like it could fit on a Soft Machine or Matching Mole album; Wyatt is basically in his own world here.

"Sea Song" is a terrific opener. The lyrics are nonsensical but are delivered in a serious manner. The synth appears to sort of solo. The piano playing becomes more dissonant and avant-garde for awhile. Love the part over halfway through with synth and some kind of synthetic choir vocals which leads to Robert scat-wailing. The percussion in this song works like a metronome. A classic Canterbury song that only Robert Wyatt could have created. "A Last Straw" starts with some light jazzy cymbal work and either a double-tracked organ or guitar. When Robert starts singing the song picks up and sounds somewhat like an early Soft Machine song. Robert does some altered "wah, wah, wah" scat singing which sometimes sounds like a rubber duckie in the middle. I like what sounds like a bluesy, Floydian slide-guitar near the end.

"Little Red Riding Hood Hit The Road" is probably the stand out track here. Featuring overdubbed trumpets that sound like you are at an ancient Roman game in the Colosseum...yet also sound jazzy. Interesting and hypnotic percussion and bass playing. The piano playing is superb and breathtaking; it fits Robert's vocals perfectly. The lyrics here seem more serious and are delivered in a more emotional way. Halfway through the song the vocals get reversed and played backwards. Yet, Robert's vocals do not lose any emotional impact! The vocals continue forward again. Ivan Cutler does some talking in a heavy Scottish accent and you hear non-vocal backwards sounds as the bass playing gets more busy. Echoed and/or looped trumpets to end it.

Robert (or someone else) repeats "alif" at the start of "Alifib" as some bass notes and avant-organ playing carry on underneath him. Melodic jazzy guitar joins in. Eventually the organ starts to sound like a smoke alarm going off. Robert starts singing the song like it's a lullaby...albeit a sad and depressing lullaby. Robert's vocals get double-tracked later. This continues right into..."Alifie." This features some percussion and skronky sax work. The creepy sounding organ works really well here. Altered vocals from Robert are almost talked. The organ playing gets looser and almost improvised at times. The sax almost does a 'normal' solo. Robert's future wife Alfreda Benge does some talking at the end with what sounds like distorted bass feedback. This track just builds in intensity and would be less powerful taken out of context from the album.

Album closer "Little Red Robin Hood Hit The Road" opens with Mellotron(?) and military drum rolls with Wyatt singing. Some Fripp-ish guitar playing from Mike Oldfield for a bit. The guitar starts imitating what Robert was saying. Loose drumming leads to some chanting. What sounds like bagpipes fade in as the rest of the music fades out. Ivan Cutler returns to recite his words from "Riding Hood" but in a different tone of voice. Harmonium and viola join in. A strange but wonderful ending to such a great album. Shortly after this Wyatt would release another album that consisted mostly of other people's songs(unlike here where he wrote everything). Then he would disappear until the 1980s. Rock Bottom is a one of a kind album, it could only have been made by those who made it when they made it. A classic. 5 stars.

Robert Wyatt - Rock Bottom (1974)

One of the progressive movement its finest moments.

With a fall from a window from the fourth flour the drumming career of ex-Soft Machine drummer Robert Wyatt had come to a pittifull end, yet it also marked the beginning of his careeer as a vocalist and keyboard player. After eight months of recovery and learning to cope with life in a weelchair Wyatt continued working on some material he had already been working on before his excident. His artistic mindset had changed, stating that his limitations would make touring almost impossible, which let him to the conclusion he could free himself from the limitations of the fixed band and do whatever he wanted to do in the studio with whom he wanted it. The album has some nice contributions (along others) of Richard Sinclair (Caravan) and Hugh Hopper (Soft Machine). On the last track Mike Oldfield adds some great & recognisable guitarlines, whereas Ivor Cutler (a Scottish poet and musician) ends the album with an eccentric performance on harmonium and vocals which is funny and sentimental at the same time.

The highly innovative and artistic music of Rock Bottom flows from the free, almost un-sensical form and mind-set. Far away from the intellectual and logical prog of his peers, Wyatt music potraits roots of child-like playfulness and cosmic chaos - using symphonic equipment and vocals/lyrics in a totally original way. In nature complexity arises out of the way chaos and selection intertwine, a totally different way from how complexity arises from the mind. Rock bottom captures this universal principle beautifully. All this would give rise to a very personal and intimite atmosphere in which mind-states as love and fear are expressed so deeply that I just forget about myself. I'm all music.

Enough said. Five stars.

Intimate, fragile, unstable and delicate - Rock Bottom is a reserved but bustling musical odyssey inwards. A perfect marriage of the personal and the abstract.

While never outright showy, there's just a subdued shimmering and hazy richness and gentle grandeur that make this album positively simmer in a unique and self-contradictory hallucinatory clarity.

A freely flowing, kaleidoscopic enigma of intimate beauty in predominantly colder colours, it's made full by layer upon layer of droning, eerie ambience, psychedelically immaterial or squealing guitars and the entirety of the zany zoological garden of sounds you find on the Canterburian experimental side. Sweetly innocent and clear melodies alongside Wyatt's almost tangible, vulnerable and very personal vocals fuse with darker streaks of wavy and diverse keyboards or a low-intensity jazz glow with gently crackling drums and unpredictable, fiery, but ultimately restrained woodwind and brass. Substantial, melodic, but sometimes detached, freely roaming and wilfully strange piano and importunate, entrancing percussion and imploring saxophone. Viola, concertina...there's room for so much. Every track is a new adventure, rewarding patience and attention in order to fully soak up all the nuances and minute twists and turns in the crisp and clear atmosphere.

The songs drift away into the unknown on a steady, patiently repetitive beat, but soon develop into isolated and hypnotic universes of their own when all the restless instrumental opulence gradually kicks in. It's fractured and jumbled, undependable and shaky, free-form, but often bent towards naked melancholia and sadness or even sinister, looming danger. And there's even room for a twisted sense of fun, creating a schizophrenic tension that never really goes away, and which only further adds to the vibe of uncertainty. But in the end it's always so wondrously, surprisingly, controlled. The emotion and instrumentation are like embers in the dark, with a constant deep red intensity that says it all without ever having to resort to wildly dancing flames.

While the charms of this one eluded me for a long time, the more I've listened to it the more I've come to adore it. It's an intense and intruding, but simultaneously restrained and naked affair, which if you let it in under your skin can cause exhilarating dizziness and lasting shortness of breath. And that's a good thing.

4 stars.

//LinusW

I've owned and listened to this album regularly for a few years now but to this day fail to feel the sadness others associate with listening to it. I know the story, and I can imagine Robert's mood and mindset whilst creating this album (how cathartic and, hopefully, healing!) To hear the man's shift in instrumental orientation is quite extraordinary. And the emotion in his voice is quite raw and beautifully, expressively carefree. The contributing band members must have been quite focused in the making of this one. The contributions of Richard Sinclair, Mongeza Feza, Gary Windo and Mike Oldfield's are especially notable, though Fred Frith's viola play in the second half of "Little Red Robin Hood Hit The Road" is exemplarily of the album's seriousness.

1. "Sea Song" (6:32) (9/10) is plaintively beautiful if a bit monotonous.

2. "Last Straw" (5:47) (9/10) is most remarkable to me for Robert's vocalized 'trumpet' play-- something I quite enjoy.

3. "Little Red Riding Hood Hit The Road" (7:41) (10/10) is a gorgeous song with amazing piano chord play, bass lines, and multiple tracked trumpets weaving among and beyond the tick-tocking percussive play. The distorted and reverse-effected keys, guitars and vocals are used to amazing effect. The Hedgehog is just weird.

4. "Alifib" (6:55) (8/10) is probably the album's oddest, saddest foray into self-pity and opiate- induced nonsense. Thank goodness it shifts into some more expressive free-form jazz with

5. "Alifie" (6:32) (8/10), an excursion into some deeper, darker expressiveness primarily via the inspired saxophone play of Gary Windo.

6. "Little Red Robin Hood Hit The Road" (6:09) (9/10) is highlighted by some vintage Mike Oldfield guitar work (on multiple tracks) as well as some of Robert's cleverest wordplay.

Definitely a better listen if on headphones and while giving it one's full attention. It has a timelessness to it that makes it rise above the 4 stars it might otherwise deserve. The Hedgehog is just weird.

"Dinsdale!" . . . "Dinsdale!"

This genre called Canterbury leaves me baffled every time. It is such an askew sounding genre, yet extremely focused and visionary. There's plenty of jazz, plenty of rock and plenty of everything and then stuffed into one big bucket of prog. Actually, I think that Canterbury may well be the prime example of prog in it's most vivid and exploratory manner.

As such it demands something special of the listener. Though melodic it is also, as stated, askew and spinechilling. Prog is by definition something to sink your teeth into but Canterbury, like zeuhl for instance, is really something else. Demanding, yes. Rewarding? Absolutely.

I came across this album having read about it's glory and godliness. At first I found it just a tad too bleak. It is not an uplifting listen, though I would not necessarily say it's a downer either. It is, really, a strange trip. Wyatt manages to create an album of sparsity though really rich in texture and body. I suppose you need to hear it to understand it. To me it is a wonderful example of restraint without holding back. Is that talking nonsense? I think not.

The first two tracks are incredible. "Sea song" is inexplicably beautiful, mellow, melancholic and simple in in it's complexity. "A last straw follows". A bit more rock feel to it, though jazzy. "Little red riding hood hit the road" is effect laden and full lf intricacy in instrumentation. Wonderful. "Alifib" recalls Hatfield & The North, I think, which is great. (Wyatt contributed vocals on the first Hatfield album.) "Alfie" is the strangest song on the album. Really it is scary, with it's half spoken vocals and eerie effects. The album ends with "Little red robin hood hit the road", on which Mike Oldfield adds some distinct guitar playing. An awesome track and a great way to end this gem of an album.

In conclusion, this is one great example of Canterbury but also prog in general. Eerie, demanding, bleak, rich and rewarding. It has everything one could hope for, really. However good, I cannot reward it five stars. This is an amazing album and I think an excellent addition to any collection. Essential? Well... In parts I think so but on the other hand no. I cannot put my finger on it. If you are looking to investigate Wyatt, start here. It is a good place to begin.

Four shining, glorious stars.

(This is my amateurish translation of a chapter from my Finnish-language prog book published in 2013. "Aforementioned" refers to a chapter on MATCHING MOLE. Now I must confront the question of rating. I believe it would be 4½ stars, but because in the end I haven't listened to this album so often, I round it down. To be changed later if I come to realize how wonderful this album really is.)

Matching Mole collapsed after two albums mainly because of the lack of leadership. The winter of '72-'73 Robert Wyatt spent in Venice where his girlfriend participated in making of the film Don't Look Back. Unaccustomed to have nothing to do, he passed his time writing songs with a tiny keyboard, and after the return to London gathered a new version of Matching Mole (featuring e.g. Francis Monkman who had left Curved Air). The day before starting the rehearsals occurred the aforementioned accident, with a consequence of Wyatt being hospitalized for eight months. After three months of lying in bed he was given a wheel chair, and rather than participating in therapeutic activities he spent some time on the piano in the guest room and continued shaping the songs he had started in Venice.

The paralysis from the waist below brought inevitable changes into the musician's career, but the optimistic Wyatt turned them to a freedom: without gigging he could concentrate on album-making and use various musicians on each track if he wanted to. Rock Bottom, recorded early in 1974, was released the very same day when Robert Wyatt married Alfreda "Alfie" Benge, who was also responsible of the cover art. [Side note: there are two versions of the cover, the other one is a colour-drawing of a dive.]

Wyatt's ethearal keyboard and vocal style is accompanied on two tracks ('Sea Song' and 'Alifib') by a bass guitar only, whereas other tracks feature a variable cast of musicians and articulators. Laurie Allan's plentiful use of hi-hat underlines the jazzy esthetics of 'A Last Straw', and the fast-tempo 'Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road' gives a central role to a trumpet. On 'Alife' that starts with slightly dissonant bass clarinet sounds, Wyatt's word play is affectionately answered by the love song's object herself. On the intense final track Wyatt's lyrics are articulated by a Scottish poet Ivor Cutler sounding like a loonie. This album produced by the Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason is by far the most appreciated classic in Wyatt's long and respected solo career. it was met with a fairly good reception, even though Wyatt's only hit was the Neil Diamond cover 'I'm a Believer' two months later.

In 1975 appeared rather uneven Ruth Is Stranger Than Richard, after which the discography expanded in the 80's with politically coloured albums Nothing Can Stop Us (1982; covers only) and Old Rottenhat (1985). Recommended albums for those who enjoy Wyatt's airy and chamber-jazzy style might include Shleep (1997), Cuckooland (2003) and Comicopera (2007).

There is no album like it in my collection, even Soft Machine. The album has a "downer" mood to it, many thanks to the accident (pushed out of a third story window) that left him wheelchair bound, but the surprising thing about all this was the material was written before the accident, but recorded after, so I'm sure the mood was caused because of the accident, but not the lyrics. Sadly he was no longer able to play a full drum kit anymore, so he had to switch to keyboards and hand percussion. He brought in some guests that many will recognize, such as Mike Oldfield, Richard Sinclair (Caravan, and by then a member of Hatfield & the North), Fred Frith, Hugh Hopper, Laurie Allan (who played drums on Gong's Flying Teapot), Ivor Cutler (no relation to Chris), and others. So the music has the somber, reflective tone to it, instead of manic drumming like he did on Soft Machine and Matching Mole. The music has a rather experimental edge and tends to have a more RIO feel to it, so I can't see why RIO fans wouldn't like this. Besides I'm certain this album did have a major impact on RIO to begin with. It's not an easy listen and it's not something you'd listen to everyday, but it's one of the greats of music regardless of genre well worth seeking out. I'm discouraged to throw five stars just anywhere (like what happens at Amazon), but this is truly deserving of it! Of course, don't expect anything like Soft Machine's first three albums (I know he's on the fourth one as well, but was forced by the other band members not to sing, a big reason he left), as this is totally different (he was clearly letting everyone know that he's not completely bound to the legacy of Soft Machine).

Although the relatively light Rock Bottom is considered to be a 'Canterbury Scene' album, I associate it more strongly with Van der Graaf Generator and with the Krautrock style than with, for example, In the Land of Grey and Pink (though bassist Richard Sinclair appears on both albums).

At least here on Rock Bottom, Wyatt's lyrics are reminiscent of Peter Hammill's insofar as they combine the literal and the impressionistic. Both writers imply that their antagonist is not fully sane, or perhaps not fully lucid; the listener seems to be eavesdropping on the private thoughts of the singer. But whereas Hammill's musings (or ravings) tend toward the nightmarish - - and occasionally homicidal - - Wyatt's are more sentimental. Although some of the lyrics on Rock Bottom are a bit dark, especially in the context of the eerie music of songs like 'Alifib' and 'Alife,' they are just as often childlike or doddering (e.g., from 'Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road,' 'You've been so kind / I know, I know / So why did I hurt you? / I didn't mean to hurt you').

As a musician, singer, and composer, Wyatt defies the stereotype of the rock drummer. Tom Barnes expresses the cliché on mic.com: 'According to rock mythology, drummers are the Neanderthals on the scale of musical evolution. They don't understand melody or composition. They're only good for two things tops: keeping the tempo steady and coming down hard on the one.' Of course, the prejudgment is faulty and unfair, and et cetera, but the stereotype seems to be based on some shred of reality. At a minimum, many musicians self-select into their roles in a band, and there are characteristics many drummers seem to share that set them apart, say, from pianists or lead singers.

Anyway, the stereotype exists, and it couldn't be more alien to the Robert Wyatt of Rock Bottom. He's introspective, delicate, and as a vocalist, he even seems to overlook the rhythm in places.

The standout track here is 'Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road,' a near-perfect melding of accessible pop and high-minded art. As this song is as much a studio creation as a traditional composition, producer Nick Mason probably deserves much of the kudos. 'Little Red Riding Hood' is built on a wall of trumpets,* percussion, bass guitar - - but most notably trumpets. At some point the various tracks begin to run backwards, although we're not just hearing the whole song in reverse; the vocals, for example, are still phrased as per the usual. Eventually forward-running instruments and vocals join back in. As impressive as the production technique is, it never casts a shadow over the music itself. In this sense, Wyatt - - and Mason - - defy another stereotype: the drummer as technician rather than artist.

The other tracks on the forty-minute Rock Bottom are also solid, if bewildering upon the first listen. In a lot of respects, this LP is like an earlier-1970s 'Krautrock' album, sharing a general ambivalence toward convention with that German style: parts of 'Sea Song' and 'A Last Straw' border on the accessible, while 'Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road' and its companion piece 'Little Red Robin Hood Hit the Road' are far more experimental. There are also hints of Floydian psychedelia, perhaps thanks to Mason, and there are echoes of folk-prog throughout.

My main gripe with the album is Wyatt's off-kilter, and sometimes off-key, warbling. It's grown on me a bit, partly because it's a bit endearing, and also because I can't really separate his vocal performance from his lyrics, which (at least to me) are essential to the album.

In short, Rock Bottom is well-composed and well-performed. Other than 'Little Red Riding Hood,' I don't find it to be as innovative as many other reviewers do, but it certainly doesn't seem derivative.

*courtesy Mongezi Feza, who died just a little more than year after the album was (famously) played at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane in September 1974.

Here's to you Rock Bottom, 1974, produced by Nick Mason.

Side A. 1. Sea Song (6:31). First piece: carpet of keyboards, hinted percussion, evocative singing that becomes beautiful when it rises in tones, moving, then there is an instrumental break with keyboard solo (I guess Wyatt plays three kind of keyboards in this track), sweet lullaby. In the middle begins an angelic chorus, and finally again the singing with celestial orgiastic atmosphere dominated by onomatopoeic sounds. Masterpiece that introduce the atmosphere of the record. Rating 9.

2. A Last Straw (5:46). The second piece is shortest, it's a more rhythmic song, which begins with drums and bass (Hugh Hopper) in evidence, producing a very jazzy sound, and good guitar phrases (Wyatt): In the background estatic keyboards that fade after other onomatopeic sounds with the trumpet of the third song. Another great track without schemes. Rating 8,5/9.

3. Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road (7:38). The third song, which produces a leap in quality for the very avant- garde arrangements, has got a very solid bass (Richard Sinclair) and an exceptional performance on trumpet by Mongezi Feza. Wyatt's voice (with an help from Ivor Cutler) does the rest. A peak, a gem of contemporary music. Rating 9.5.

Overall, a side A consisting of three mixed songs, almost a single suite, with a sober and moving first part for arrangement that then becomes more and more elaborate for rhythm and arrangements becoming total music, pure avant-garde. The quality level is very high, we are around 9+/10.

Side B. 4. Alifib (6:55). It starts with the sound of the voice making a rhythmic verse that replaces percussion, then, for about half of the song there is only instrumental music: keyboard in evidence, it's free-jazz music. Then finally begins the singing, which has lyrics formed by assonances of words. The pathos reaches high peaks when Wyatt flies to the high notes with his voice, accompanied by screeching on the keyboards. Rating 8.5/9.

5. Alife (6:31). The second song, which echoes Alifib's lyrics, is the peak of the second side, for its sense of estrangement and schizophrenia, with a voice (Alfreda Benge) with a demented cadence. It starts with avant-garde noises and sounds (Gary Windo on alto & bass clarinets), as if it wanted to deconstruct and make the celestial sound of the previous one distressed and cacophonous. Final piece with beautiful clarinet solo that rises above a catastrophic atmosphere, where Wyatt's voice returns. Rating 9,5/10. Absolute masterpiece.

6. Little Red Robin Hood Hit the Road (6:08). Last song with beautiful beginning, almost psychedelic, with guitar (Mike Oldfield), repetitive text, obsessive. Then about three minutes the music stops and begins a dissonant folk with the viola in evidence (Fred Frith), a paradoxical, alienating voice (Ivor Cutler), which recites an almost martial text, atmosphere Dadaist, surreal, robotic. It's the least musical song on the album, which closes it like a sneer, as if to say: Don't take me too seriously.

The B-side starts similar to the previous one, in fact the atmosphere of Alifib is comparable to that of Sea Song but after the first track the music turns into paradox and estrangement. The quality is equally high: 9+.

Medium quality of the songs: 8,96. Unbelieveble. Rating 10/10. Absolute masterpiece, six stars.

Two words about Wyatt's lyrics: evocative, full of non-senses, dissonances, meaningless assonances, pataphysics, creators of atmospheres or sounds. Perfectly calibrated and consistent with music, in short.

And now, a reflection on the importance and uniqueness of this album. There are great prog artists, such as EL&P and Yes, who are not loved by those who are not passionate about prog. Keith Emerson, for his excessive virtuosity, Jon Anderson for his contralto voice, are often hated by classical rock listeners. But in general, all the symphonic rock of the golden-age of prog is not well seen by many listeners of rock, blues, country, pop, melodic music etc.

Genesis are often respected, but are considered boring (while Peter Gabriel, starting with his third album, is seen as an innovative experimenter). Pink Floyd, with their operas from Atom Heart Mother (which marks their transition from psychedelia to prog), to Wish You Were Here and Animals, two notable albums (I consider WYWH a masterpiece, while I consider Animals good but a minor work) , they were seen as enemies by punk artists, and in fact Syd Vicious to justify the birth of punk, quoted Pink Floyd, to make it clear that punk was against mammoth art- works like Pink Floyd albums, produced with super elaborate music, full of suites, dilated songs, virtuosity, studio effects. He would have taken it with Yes and EL&P and Genesis if they were still on the crest of the wave, but in 1976-77 they were in decline, or were beginning to become pop. In contrast, Syd Vicious expressed appreciation for Peter Hammill for Nadir's Big Chance, which contained several songs of raw rock, the forerunner of punk.

Well, the eclectic prog, represented by VdGG and King Crimson has always been more respected by lovers of classic rock, blues, pop etc. Peter Hammill and Robert Fripp are much loved and appreciated, for their coherence, for their lack of interest in the show business and for the ability to make a prog rock not by dinosaurs but very capable of renewing itself and getting out of the schemese.

But... and here comes the point.... From my point of view on the world, no artist is as loved as Robert Wyatt. And not for the whole of his career, because yes, it is true that Soft Machine enjoys the same consideration as VdGG and KC (moreover, groups that have all given their best in the years between 1968 and 1971) but in the case of Wyatt , it's different: Wyatt is not loved for his Soft Machine career, nor for his later solo career (as with Hammill, Gabriel, or Fripp), Wyatt is loved almost only for Rock Bottom.

I heard the praises of Rock Bottom on Mucchio Selvaggio (The Wild Bunch), the most beautiful newspaper of Italian classic rock. But also in any other newspaper or rock site where users are not lovers of prog. Why this? First of all, because Rock Bottom is not a prog opera. It is a total art-work, which does not belong to any genre. It has nothing to do with, for example, In The Land of Grey and Pink, which is perhaps the most well-known and considered art- work of Canterbury Scene. The sound, the arrangement, the atmosphere, the music, the structure of the songs, everything has nothing to do with Canterbury Scene.

Of course, there are many Canterbury bands that diverge a lot from Caravan, as well as Gong, and make much more personal music, for example Henry Cow. But Henry Cow also goes beyond the patterns of the prog and in fact is appreciated very cross-cutting, only that he is less known than Wyatt.

Piero Scaruffi, the Italian American historian of music, who has written the history of rock, greatly appreciates prog but its preparation is transversal. He has a background that comes from jazz and classical music, and he appreciates prog more than classic rock (and despises country, folk, pop and everything commercial). Well, it's no coincidence that he considers Rock Bottom the second biggest record of the twentieth century (after Trout Mask Replica): it's a record that breaks every pattern, every genre, it's not even rock, it's absolute music, which is not catalogable either as light music or as cultured music - and it's almost new age music and almost Zen meditation music.

And perhaps the fragility of Wyatt, which is felt in his voice, in the sober and ecstatic arrangements, in the minimal percussion, his vulnerability makes this record a rare pearl that excites and almost creates a sense of intimacy, of protection of a sacred treasure. Maybe that's it, maybe it's something else but Robert Wyatt is loved by everyone (or almost) and considered one of the greatest artists of the twentieth century, a total artist, not a prog artist, just for this album. This album is an absolute case, worldwide, despite the masterpieces of the first three albums with Soft Machine and those with Matching Mole.

This album, I repeat, belongs to everyone, not just the fans of the prog, and has something unique, it sounds extremely authentic, genuine, unfiltered, totally uncovered and vulnerable. Thank you, Robert.

Of all the classic prog albums I've heard, not one of them sounds anything quite like this album. Now there are quite a few reasons for this, whether it's the sound of frailty and vulnerability of the vocal delivery, the extremely sombre mood, or the emphasised focus on atmosphere and tone, there are many aspects of this that play a pivotal role in making this stand out. The way each of these elements are executed to such a high degree along with some other interesting decisions are only some of the reasons why this not only manages to feel so different, but is also a masterpiece.

Sea Song kicks things off in an utterly perfect way with its short but perfect intro. Layers of keyboards come in, blanketing everything in this sense of melancholy, yet with some serious beauty to it as well. What makes this work so well is how quickly these layered chords fall into an uncanny sense of dissonance, seemingly revealing the true nature of the emotions behind the song. Every other aspect of the song follows this pattern as well, with the vocal melody phasing in and out, sometimes being quite sad and charming, but not often for long before it almost diverts into a sense of semi-mindless rambling. As the end of the song approaches, I feel like its outro best encapsulates everything the song stands for, with its breathtaking atmosphere as Wyatt meekly sings, at first seeming like a hint of underlying optimism showing itself, but before long, it all sounds strained, as if it's all a facade that's slowly falling apart by the time it reaches the end. A Last Straw is the one moment in the album that I'd potentially consider a weak link in this album, though with that said, it's still a great song. It is quite interesting listening to the way all the instrumentation seems to mimic the ebb and flow of the sea, and while it feels a bit aimless at points, the aquatic atmosphere feels undeniably cool and ends up culminating in an interesting listening experience regardless of it not quite living up to the tremendously incredible nature of the rest of this.

It's once Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road comes on that things get really interesting here however, not really because of any individual song, but the entire last two thirds of the album and how it works as a whole. This aforementioned track definitely sets the stage well however, with a much faster pace behind it that sounds rather frantic, as if some sort of awful event occurred and there's an immediate and overwhelming sense of panic and regret that just washes over. While in the lyrics it seems to be talking about hitting a hedgehog with a car, the emotions conveyed here could easily be interpreted as relating to Wyatt's serious injury and the world of change it brought forth for him. It almost feels as if the song as a whole just represents this state of shock, with the sound of remorse running through, the way the audio plays backwards at one point, and especially that end monologue. This part both feels crazed and desperate, as if someone is trying to helplessly convince themselves that everything is fine and will continue being final even when deep down they believe otherwise. This sense of sadness continues strongly into the next song, Alifib, which yet again has its own intriguing appeal to it. After a few minutes of quiet, atmospheric instrumental material, the real song kicks off, and immediately bowls you over with a profoundly melancholic tune. What truly makes this song stand out is the way it manages to sound so moving and sombre while having lyrics that are blatantly nonsensical. Nothing explicitly says anything in this song, and yet, it still ends up being so emotionally powerful. This one's probably my favourite on the album, so much is said with so little, the emotions ring so true despite from just the delivery alone.

Alife is where the really unique and clever stuff comes in, definitely the point where things truly start to feel outright genius as it ties a lot of stuff together in a satisfying manner. This song essentially recontextualises the previous one while retaining a lot of the same elements. Despite keeping the same general lyricism, with many of the same lines being repeated word for word, rather than using them to create a sense of quiet sadness, this ends up sounding insanely eerie and even a bit menacing. The dissonant instrumentation is undeniably a big part in this, with the steady percussion remaining constant as everything surrounding it goes all over the place while still sounding tied to that nonstop beat. The vocal delivery yet again goes a long way in setting the tone as well, with the repeated short phrases without even an ettempt of creating a melody sounding almost broken, just repeating things over and over. It also feels as if the lyricism here further contributes to this sense of uncanny strangeness, with the Spike Milligan-esque vocabulary being that final aspect that adds to the surreal, twisted genius of this song. Little Red Robin Hood Hit the Road closes things off perfectly, taking similar themes from its similarly named counterpart, but yet again putting a completely different spin on it. The track sounds confrontational, repeating "can't you see them" as if it's forcing someone to come to terms with some sort of awful event, to finally stare it right in the face and accept. Given the amount of sombre material throughout everything here, I think ending it on this sort of note is a great move, gives things a cautiously optimistic note to end things on rather than everything feeling like an exercise in wallowing. That last monologue especially brings forth a strong sense of finality, with the beautiful and droning instrumentation complementing it, together making for a nice playout for the entire album.

Overall, I really do consider this to be the finest progressive rock albums I've heard at this point. So much emotion is brought forward in every moment, with a lot of complexity coming from these emotions as well. While the instrumentation itself often has some really impressive individual moments, it's the atmosphere it conjured that's the true star of the show. Along with the way it works with the vocals to provide a range of modes and tones, it's those moments where the feel of a song is ever so slightly shifted from moment to moment to create a world of difference in everything it conveys that form the strong backbone of Rock Bottom. Robert Wyatt really did make a masterpiece here, not only a masterpiece, but one that manages to feel quite unlike anything I've heard in the genre, and I consider that to be insanely impressive as well.

Best tracks: Sea Song, Alifib, Alife

Weakest tracks: A Last Straw